In This Issue
Register For Upper Midwest MG Conference
Container Garden Contest
Super Sleuth
May Mystery Plant
International MG Conf.
Summer Webinar Series Set
Online IPM Modules
Upcoming Events
Quick Links
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May 2014     Volume 5     No. 5
Register for Upper Midwest Conference

Registration is coming along well for the Upper Midwest Master Gardener Conference. As of this writing, we have almost 200 registrants from 9 states. Half of them are from outside Iowa. As the host state, we should have a lot more registrants than the other states, so let's see if we can push those Iowa numbers

higher! It promises to be an outstanding conference! 

 

You can see the full listing of conference classes, speakers, tours, and special evening activities on the conference website at

http://www.aep.iastate.edu/iowamg2014/. The registration form is available there, too. The $300 registration fee includes 2 full days of classes, 2 keynote sessions, a daylong tour, special evening activities, and meals and receptions during the event scheduled for June 25-28, 2014 in Bettendorf at the Quad-Cities Isle Center and Waterfront Convention Center.

Besides keynote speakers Scott Ogden, Lauren Springer-Ogden and Felder Rushing, featured speakers include Melinda Myers and LoriAnn Barnett. In addition, as a conference attendee you can choose from 30 breakout sessions as well as 5 tour options.

  

Call 1-800-theisle (1-800-843-4753) and provide the group code WMG0618 for reservations or reserve your room at the Isle Casino Hotel Bettendorf through the conference room reservation site (http://bettendorf.isleofcapricasinos.com/WMG0618.aspx) to receive the discounted conference room rates. The block of rooms will be held until June 1. After that rooms are subject to availability.

 

You can also Like the Facebook page for the conference to follow developments.

Container Garden Contest

Get together with other Master Gardeners from your county and let the creative juices flow. One of the events at the Upper Midwest Master Gardener Conference is a container garden design contest. Several prizes will be awarded: 

a)   Felder's Favorite (selected by keynote speaker, Felder Rushing)

b)   Faculty Favorite (selected by ISU faculty)

c)    People's Choice (voted on by conference attendees)

d)   Chairman's Choice (selected by the conference co-chairs)

Rules for the contest are simple.

1. Notify the state Master Gardener office by June 1 of your group's intent to bring a container garden to the conference.

2. Container gardens should be no more than 12 inches in diameter, and should be suitable for use as a tabletop decoration.

 

Container gardens will be auctioned off as part of a silent auction, which will raise funds for youth gardening programs. Let's show Master Gardeners from the other states of the Upper Midwest what creativity exists among Iowa Master Gardeners!

 
Super Sleuth

Congratulations to our Super Sleuths for April, Alyce Dolphin, Dubuque County, Jack Robertson, Poweshiek County, and Carol Ouverson, Story County who correctly identified the April mystery plant as Abeliophyllum distichum 'Roseum', white forsythia, or Chinese abelialeaf. The straight species has white flowers; this cultivar bears ones with a pink tinge. One of the first shrubs to bloom in spring, white forsythia, which is a member of the olive family, precedes that of its cousin yellow forsythia by a week or two. It is hardy in Zones 5-8, and prefers full sun, but tolerates part shade. Mature height and width are 4-5 feet.

 

Denny Schrock, State Master Gardener Coordinator

 
Featured Plant
from April

Abeliophyllum distichum 'Roseum'
May Mystery Plant
What am I?

This spring-blooming perennial forms a tidy low-growing clump just 12-15 inches wide and 3-4 inches tall when in bloom. The lavender-pink blossoms make a perfect companion at the base of Bloomerang ('Penda') or 'Miss Kim' lilacs, which flower during the same season. After the flowers fade, the plant serves as a drought-tolerant groundcover with leafy evergreen foliage. Most other cultivars in this genus bear blue flowers.   

Send your response including both its common and botanical names (including cultivar name) in your reply to Denny.    
 
Volunteers Needed for International MG Conference

From September 22-25, 2015 Iowa and Nebraska will co-host the International Master Gardener Conference. Iowa will also be hosting at least one post-conference tour. 

We're looking for volunteers to serve on numerous committees, including Decorations, Entertainment, Evaluation, Finance, Food, Goody Bags, Hospitality, Registration, Silent Auction, Speakers, Conference Tours, Post-Conference Tours, Trade Show, Volunteer Coordination, and Communications.

If you're interested in serving on one or more of these committees, please sign up through Sign Up Genius online at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D48AEA82BA3FB6-committee

If you'd like more information about one of these committees,  please contact Preston Sargent, Mills County Master Gardener who is serving as co-chair for the conference from Iowa.
Watch for updates on the conference website, and sign up to "Like" the conference on Facebook.

 

 

Summer Webinar Series Set   

The theme for the 2014 Summer Webinar Series is Totally Trees. As the Emerald Ash Borer marches across the state, homeowners need to be prepared to recognize signs of damage, know what control options are available, and consider alternatives for replacement trees. All sessions will be held from 6:30-8:00 p.m. on the dates indicated below. The fee for each session is $25 per site. (Most counties charge individuals a nominal fee to cover the cost of the webinar.) County Extension offices may register with Denny to reserve a connection. Master Gardeners should contact your local extension office to see if they will be one of the host sites for the webinars.

 

Tuesday July 15 - Mark Vitosh, Iowa DNR District Forester, will speak on Iowa's Unknown Treasure: The Forest Resource. He will discuss trees in communities as well as the benefits and issues of growing trees in Iowa woodlands and urban areas.

 

Thursday August 14 - Donald Lewis & Mark Shour, ISU Extension Entomologists, will speak on Tree Pests, with a focus on recent pests of trees such as the Emerald Ash Borer and the impact of these pests on the Iowa landscape.

 

Thursday September 4 - Jeff Iles, Extension Nursery and Landscape Specialist, will speak on Ash Alternatives, providing ideas of other species of trees to consider planting in the home landscape.

yellow-leaves-tree.jpg
Online IPM Modules Available

Three learning modules are now online for Master Gardener continuing education:

Growing Shade Trees with IPM: http://campus.extension.org/enrol/index.php?id=783 

Growing Squash with IPM: http://campus.extension.org/enrol/index.php?id=947 

Growing Tomatoes with IPM: http://campus.extension.org/enrol/index.php?id=749 

The cost is $10 per module. Each involves videos, readings and questions. Expect each module to take about 3 hours to complete. After finishing the module, you can print out a certificate as proof of successfully completing the course.

    The learning modules are based on webinars held in 2012 and 2013 provided by the North Central Consumer Hort IPM Working Group and the North Central IPM Center. 
 
Upcoming Events

What: Crackpot Succulents

When: Wednesday, June 11, 6:00 PM

Where: Discovery Garden, Iowa State Fairgrounds

Who: Susan Appleget-Hurst

Price: Free

 

What: Rain Barrels

When: Wednesday, June 18, 6:00 PM

Where: Discovery Garden, Iowa State Fairgrounds

Who: John Swanson

Price: Free

 

What: 14th Annual Garden Tour

When: Saturday, June 21, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Where: Des Moines, Iowa

Who: Polk County Master Gardeners

Price: $15, PCMGtour.com

 

What: Seed Saving

When: Wednesday, June 25, 6:00 PM

Where: Discovery Garden, Iowa State Fairgrounds

Who: Sondra Kruger Feldstein

Price: Free

 

What: Upper Midwest Master Gardener Conference

When: Wednesday, June 25 - Saturday, June 28

Where: Bettendorf, Iowa

Who: Scott County Master Gardeners & many presenters

Price: $300, http://www.aep.iastate.edu/iowamg2014/  

 

Do you have other educational opportunities coming up? Email Cindy or Denny with details. Thanks. 
Department of Horticulture, Iowa State University
Header and other plant images credit: Dr. Denny Schrock, Department of Horticulture, ISU